


The Snake's Home was Found Among Dogs

by Varmint



Series: Konoha: The Land of Second Chances [6]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Canon-Typical Violence, Coming of Age, Family Feels, Feelings Realization, Flashbacks, Gen, Good Orochimaru (Naruto), Good-ish Danzou Shimura, Light Angst, Non-Graphic Violence, Political Alliances, Politics, Teacher Orochimaru, Team as Family, chosen family, technically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24956299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varmint/pseuds/Varmint
Summary: "Sensei, to be one of the great prodigies of your generation, you're not very smart." Shikaku's blunt words froze him in absolute shock. "Don't you remember what we told you the first day we met? You are pack."He... he was pack?Impossible.Or! Orochimaru is a good guy and it's all mostly because of the Inuzuka clan. One-shot! Continuation of "The Orphans"!
Relationships: Inuzuka Tsume/Shimura Danzou, Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina, Orochimaru & Inuzuka Tsume, Orochimaru & Nara Shikaku, Orochimaru & Uzumaki Kushina
Series: Konoha: The Land of Second Chances [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1028064
Comments: 12
Kudos: 120





	The Snake's Home was Found Among Dogs

**Author's Note:**

> Quick A/N: I was supposed to be sleeping and/or thinking about other stories I need to continue. But then I started thinking about Good!Orochimaru and the reason why he stayed in Konoha and this happened. Warning, there is a scene with some mentioned violence, even though it's nothing too over the top.
> 
> Please enjoy~

It was not often Minato denied him an Inuzuka student. The only time he could remember ever having been told he would not be given the recent graduated class' Inuzuka students...

Orochimaru paused as he paid no attention to Tsunade and Jiraiya chattering over their meals.

He had never been denied an Inuzuka student since he had begun taking on genin students. Every single time he had been assigned a new team of genin, ever since his _first team filled with Inuzuka pups_ , all of Orochimaru's teams had contained at least one member of the dog loving clan. On a few rare occasions his teams had _exclusively_ been made up of Inuzuka students. But never before had he found himself with the possibility of taking on a team that would not contain a single member of his beloved pack.

"Ah! Hatake! You've finally arrived! And you've brought the pups!"

Sakumo- _the thief_ , his mind supplied- smiled as Jiraiya waved him over to sit with them. Behind him came Jiraiya's children. Nagato was visibly uncomfortable; probably because of the very idea of having to teach his first genin team in a year renown for acute intelligence from all of the Academy graduates. Itachi Uchiha and Hana Inuzuka were not the only geniuses within the class, after all, even if they tended to be the first many thought of.

The booth they had separated for their small party was large enough to fit all the present shinobi comfortably, even as Orochimaru and Nagato were faced with the unpleasant situation of having to be within close proximity to other human beings. Unfortunately, they were both accustomed to such situations; Orochimaru because of the oaf known as Jiraiya and Nagato because Yahiko had acquired many of the loud mouth's bad habits after years of looking up to him.

"Tonight we're celebrating quite a bit, aren't we?" Tsunade remarked and the alcohol had barely even begun to flow, yet her cheeks had already begun to tint. "Hey, Orochi-dono, is it true you've got no team lined up?"

Konan, ever the voice of reason within _her_ team, pushed the bottle of saké near Tsunade away from the woman and closer to Orochimaru. If she was already using _Orochi-dono_ , she had no need for any more alcohol within her system, the Snake Sannin agreed.

He made a point of sipping his water and turning to Yahiko so he could ask him about the team he had been assigned to work with. Tsunade tried to call attention to herself, but Orochimaru knew that there would be no point in answering her. She already knew what she wanted to know. At this point she just wanted to get under his skin with information she believed to be innocent, but was ultimately sensitive to him.

He had always made sure to never allow those around him to know just how important his teams were to him... maybe he had been _too_ successful?

"Minato's still wondering if a Hyuga could work well with Hagane and Aburame teammates. Remember that not all the teams we've been told about are official." Sakumo interrupted the woman's groans that sought attention, "If the team could theoretically work, they're going to be handed over to Orochimaru."

"I still can't believe Yahiko was assigned a genin team." Konan commented just as one of the servers came over to them to get the orders of everyone that had recently arrived. As Sakumo ordered, the young woman shook her head, "He can barely take care of himself and still wonders if eight hours of sleep are necessary for proper functioning."

"Because shinobi are always working their best with _less than four hours_." Yahiko just about shouted, then asked for a platter of steamed cabbage rolls; all the while the server seemed more bored than intrigued by the conversations that continued around him. Undoubtedly, he was accustomed to this. Shinobi tended to be _unique_ customers; not rude, but not polite either. And this restaurant was renown for catering to shinobi.

"I have an Akimichi, a Yamanaka, and a Nara. They've been best friends since _birth_." Nagato whispered in unrestrained dread, "What chance do I stand against their united front?"

Jiraiya's laugh was boisterous as he slapped his hand against the young man's back, causing him to lurch forward at the force behind the hits. "With that attitude, you won't last a day! Genin are _ruthless_!"

From the way Nagato groaned loudly, lowered his head to the table, and covered himself up with his arms, Orochimaru could tell Jiraiya's words were precisely what he had feared hearing.

~/~

When he arrived at the Inuzuka compound, it was to find Kiba waiting for him. He was jumping from foot to foot, wore a broad smile on his lips, and his eyes twinkled with a dangerous spark that spoke of danger for whoever the child had targeted.

In the distance, Orochimaru was able to hear the faint rhythm of one set of drums accompanied by melodic howls. Which was an odd thing to hear, considering how, even though it was fast approaching, winter has still not enveloped them in its perpetual cold; so there were not supposed to be any offerings to the spirits of nature just yet.

"Kiba."

"Sensei! C'mere with me! I wanna show you something great!" the boy ran off, disappearing in the direction of his home, and Orochimaru sighed softly.

He had wanted to speak with the Inuzuka clan head's husband to ask him why in the world Hana had been given to Sakumo Hatake; but he acquiesced to himself that he could spare a few seconds to indulge the young pup. If he wasn't _cheated in the following_ _years_ , Kiba would be part of his genin team, after all.

Once he arrived at the backyard of the clan head's home, Orochimaru couldn't help himself but smile softly at the scene before him. As purely _Inuzuka_ it was- savage, terrifying, and _primal_ -, it was also incredibly _innocent_. Some of the younger pups of the clan had gotten together to bury the Yamanaka menace, Hidan, and were currently dancing around his struggling head, howling to the songs they had seen their parents sing in the official offering festivals years prior. Even Lady Ino was part of the crowd, jumping and dancing as broken howls left her; not bad for a non-Inuzuka, but certainly not _sufficient_.

Hidan was shouting at the pups to let him go or they would face his blade, but they all knew he was harmless.

Seated at her own backyard with her large drums, Tomoe Inuzuka was the person that was giving the children a beat to howl to. And when their eyes met, the retired kunoichi offered him an amused smirk that told him it would be smart to not attempt to interrupt on Hidan's behalf. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind until she had given him such a look.

"How did you all manage to trap him?" he questioned Kiba, who was standing by his side. Any other Inuzuka would have jumped back into the fray to howl their heart away; but Kiba was different from most Inuzuka. Much like his sister.

"It was really easy. We asked and he thought we wouldn't get farther than his knees." with a shrug, the young boy looked up at him with what seemed to Orochimaru like a sadistic glint within his eyes. "He's immortal. We can practice _surgery_ , sensei."

"I'm never coming back to this freak show!"

Orochimaru hated that word. Especially when it was directed at the clan.

He had been contemplating saving Hidan from his own bad decisions; surgery was a very mature concept and even most adult Inuzuka weren't very interested in medical arts, so it was odd for Kiba to be interested in such a thing. But all of the pups here had demonstrated enough competence in chakra control to be able to perform simple healing jutsu, he knew. Whatever damage they would be able to inflict they would also be able to mend.

"Well then, carry on." he patted the young boy's head and smiled softly when he heard Kiba keen at the positive attention. "Are your parents at home? I wish to speak with them."

"Ma's making some dessert with Hana. Pa's five minutes away." having given Orochimaru the answer he was looking for, Kiba turned to the rest of his accomplices and hooted, "Let's build a fire! The sun's setting, after all."

Interestingly enough, it was Lady Ino to first howl in agreement.

He walked away to the melody of chanting and howling from the Inuzuka pups, Tomoe's drums, and the amusing shouts of distress from Hidan.

As he crossed through the threshold of the back door, he found Tsume and Hana finishing up toasting some mochi. He had barely set both feet inside the house before he found himself trapped in an eager hug from his old student, who, at the same time, instructed Hana to bring out the kinako for their mochi. Orochimaru patted Tsume's back three times, signaling him reaching his limit for physical contact, and the woman let him go with a broad smile on her lips.

Ah, there was no doubt about it. Kiba was the son of this kunoichi and her husband. The physical similarities with Tsume were uncanny, all the while the personality traits he had inherited from his father were... well, it depended on the person giving their thoughts. To Orochimaru, such similarities were reassuring; in others, they were _terrifying_.

"Why is it that the only times you drop by uninvited are when something doesn't go your way, sensei?" Tsume questioned, pulling him towards the dining room and out of the kitchen as Hana finished up with the mochi. "Last time you did this, you came back _broken_ from a mission with the Hatake pup and his pack."

Orochimaru frowned as he sat down at the table because Tsume knew more than he cared to admit precisely _why_ he had returned from that mission with such extensive injuries. Not only had he been forced to accompany Minato _the fool_ on a mission, he had, in essence, been tasked with taking care of _six genin_. And the Hatake brat had suffered from a severe lack of self-preservation skills, born from delusions of unsubstantiated worries for his own teammates' health. He still suffered from such a thing.

If not for the Hatake's foolhardiness, the first plan they had set up would not have _failed_. If not for the Uchiha and Nohara fools, _his team_ would never have been forced to _endanger themselves to save other genin_. And if not for the fact that Minato had _allowed himself to be captured in a hostage exchange any genin would have known would yield no successful results_ , Orochimaru would _never have been forced to take on a whole army to save all those fools._

After that mission, Orochimaru made a point of forcing Minato's first _and only_ genin team to learn _common sense and proper protocol_. And then he had made sure that _no one ever allowed Minato Namikaze to teach genin_.

"I visit often enough." he shrugged, moving the conversation away from the disastrous mission he did not wish to have to revisit in his memories. "You are never around."

"Being the clan head means I'm always stuck doing something or another." the woman lamented with a heavy sigh, throwing herself onto her chair with little decorum. She took a moment to look at him, searching through his eyes, before she sighed. "I didn't want Hana to be given to the Hatake, y'know. She's my first heir. And the Hatake, while good enough for others, is no _you_."

Orochimaru nodded softly, "I was theorizing this was your husband's doing, not your own."

"Of course it's his." she groaned as she crossed her arms over her chest, all the while Hana entered the room with a tray filled with mochi. "Bastard enjoys playing at politics."

So the decision had political ends... Orochimaru frowned as he thanked the young kunoichi for the dessert; _typical_.

"Go take the rest of these things to your brother and the pups. And tell them that they should start digging the immortal out- the Yamanaka still aren't happy with the way we supposedly messed with their precious psychology collection." Tsume instructed, only for Hana to roll her eyes.

"We _did_ , ma. And you know the Yamanka asked for it when they started talking shit about-"

"We never admit to guilt, Hana." her mother interrupted with a feral smirk now pulling at her lips. "Right, sensei?"

Orochimaru sighed and directed his words to Hana, "Do be careful out there. Kiba was interested in trying out some form of medical ninjutsu on the immortal."

Hana's eyes widened marginally before narrowing, "He's never cared about medicine."

"Not for healing, no."

Hana sighed and made her way back into the kitchen.

"Oh, hubby's here. Close your eyes if you don't want to be traumatized."

Orochimaru sighed but decided to follow Hana out and watch over the rabid Inuzuka pups rather than be traumatized by the sight of Tsume showing her husband the affection the Inuzuka were so ill-reputed for.

~/~

Danzō admitted that he had not wanted Hana to have Sakumo Hatake as a jounin instructor. Hana, most probably confused by such a statement, questioned why he would tear her away from the Inuzuka's most trusted teacher if even _he_ wasn't convinced about the Hatake's efficiency.

At this point both of the couple's biological children had been called back into the house, the Yamanaka visitors had been sent back to their property, and coffee and tea had been passed out to drink with the hour old mochi.

As was usual for his return, Danzō had busied himself with eating his dinner and listening to tales of his children's days before he was forced to deal with any more village related business. Because of this, Orochimaru had been forced to stay for quite some time in the house of his old student, all the while Kiba gawked at him because he had never been around for _so long_.

Now the young runt was utilizing him as a chair as he sipped at his green tea, quietly paying attention to the serious affair that was being discussed around him. It wasn't very common for either pup to interrupt whenever their parents sat them down to listen to adult matters; but Hana had become more brave with age and so was known for giving her input every once in a while.

It wasn't very often Orochimaru formed part of this kind of conversation within the Inuzuka compound; but whenever he did, it never failed to strike him as _fascinating_ how such important conversations were held at the dinner table with drinks and snacks. To outsiders, the sight might seem _relaxed_ ; as if a simple, unimportant, and casual conversation was taking place.

"A deal with the Hokage's advisor, pup." Danzō admitted with a heavy sigh before he drank from his coffee.

Hana frowned, but soon Kiba cleared his throat. "Secrets, Hana. 'member?"

The Inuzuka were truly one of the oddest clans Orochimaru had ever dealt with. There were no lies within the clan. And there were very little secrets. Parents were usually always open with their children. From a very young age, the pups were taught that the only secrets between pack were secrets they kept from the rest of the village.

The practice of open secrets was one of the most interesting Orochimaru had observed in the past twenty years. Both children and adults were allowed a few secrets to keep from the rest of their pack; be it family unit or the whole clan. The adults had the most, but even then, Tsume was the person with the most amount of secrets within the clan and those were just _ten_.

Whenever they needed to debate about such open secrets, the clan tended to wait until nighttime fell and most other households were busy with preparations to fall asleep and prepare for another day. It was custom for all Inuzuka houses to have a seal of silence in the dining room, making it the most private room within a whole house.

Huffing at the reminder from her younger brother, the young girl grabbed her tea and glared into it without actually taking a drink.

Orochimaru cleared his throat to grab Danzō's attention, and asked, "So it was Kakuzu to decide the fate of the pup?"

The older man nodded, then Tsume shoved her husband ever so slightly, "What'd he promise in return for condemning one of my possible heirs to failure via incompetent jounin instructor?"

Kiba shifted in his lap, clearly intrigued at the insult towards the popularly revered Sakumo Hatake. Orochimaru patted him softly on the head to silently tell him he needed to settle down; the adults were speaking.

"First of all, Kiba and Lady Ino will be on Orochimaru's team when they graduate."

The tea within Kiba's hands sloshed as he began to try and dance, but this time Orochimaru grabbed him by both of his upper arms and held him stiffly. The runt whined softly, but relaxed within seconds and the Sannin released him, satisfied by Kiba's lack of movements. If the child began to act up once more, he'd push him off of his lap. He was more than old enough to sit on a proper chair, after all. He was just indulging the pup he wasn't able to see too often because of his ties with the Namikaze extended family.

Danzō had stopped talking as soon as he noticed his son's movements. But once he saw that the boy had been calmed, he continued to speak, "Second of all, the Inuzuka clan's words will hold more weight when it comes to deciding the next Head of the Hunting and Tracking Corps now that Hizashi Hyuga has expressed an interest in stepping down."

Tsume's response was immediate and instinctual, "I was passed over for the pansy because Hiashi gave that Sarutobi bastard a huge donation for the Academy! We Inuzuka were robbed!"

Kiba and Hana both nodded in agreement to their mother's words; Danzō merely continued to speak as if his wife had never interrupted him. "Third of all, Itachi Uchiha will be on Hana's team. Now we will be able to easily being the Uchiha into the pack." the Inuzuka in the room nodded; Orochimaru said nothing. Danzō's obsession with getting access to the bigger clans was nothing new and his whole family understood and agreed with his ambitions. "And, finally, the advisor is indebted to our clan. He owes us one favor."

That was... _monumental_.

The Hokage's advisor had kept his hands clean of such political favors since the beginning of his term, rumors went. He didn't trade in _undecided_ favors. What he _did_ trade with were determined exchanges; _not favors_.

Silence hung over the five of them as the words sunk in.

Hana broke it by asking what was so important about getting a favor from the Hokage's advisor.

Now Danzō allowed a small smile onto his lips, single eye crinkling in an uncharacteristic demonstration of warm emotion. "It is like when your brother and you place bets and the loser is bound by honor to do whatever the winner asks; but in adult terms."

He was still not happy knowing that Hana's education had been jeopardized for such a risky political move; but Orochimaru could admit he understood why the husband of the Inuzuka clan head had taken such a risk. For the first time in the history of Konoha, the Hokage's advisor _owed someone a favor_.

It had taken him the better part of three decades, but Danzō had _finally_ managed to capture Kakuzu within his web.

~/~

"Stay the night."

Orochimaru, for a single moment, indulged himself with the idea of sleeping within Tsume's guest room. Years had passed since he had last slept outside of his home for leisure, rather than business. And Inuzuka breakfasts were well known for the amount of delicious meat and filling sides usually offered; simply the exquisite tastes he would be offered would be worth any complication he ran into for this unplanned stay.

But, no, he knew that Naruto would very probably be wondering where his Uncle Orochimaru was so late at night if he hadn't been assigned a mission. And after losing one of the students he had most anticipated for, there would be no doubt that Sakumo would want to have some kind of conversation with him were he explained he hadn't asked to have Hana assigned to him.

It was a shame, but his responsibilities to others kept him, once again, from spending too much time with the Inuzuka pack.

"I shouldn't." he eventually sighed, keeping his gaze on the moon high in the starry sky rather than attempting to look at his old student.

"Of course. The Namikaze, right?" there was no poison within Tsume's words; _this time_. But Orochimaru very vividly remembered a time when anytime she mentioned such a name, he believed one of them would die from the sheer animosity she directed to them. "The monopoly they hold over you should be considered the next time Danzō plays politician. They believe themselves so much better than we lowly Inuzuka."

He frowned but knew there was nothing he could say to shake such thoughts from her.

"You do understand why they need me, young one. With the likes of Jiraiya and Minato roaming... imagine what they would be capable of if I were not there to stop their irresponsible antics." he tried to make light of the situation; and the use of the old nickname was manipulative, but warranted. Tsume's nerves were frayed at this point in the night; a little manipulation was what she required to relax a little and begin to calm down.

"Stop that. I'm not a child anymore. And I'm married to an old fart. And I have two pups. You can't use that nickname to manipulate me anymore, _Orochi-sensei_."

Beside himself, Orochimaru smiled.

"You should come and visit Kushina whenever you manage to free yourself from your responsibilities. She reminisces about you and Shikaku every now and again."

"What? Is there a something important coming up I forgot about?" Tsume questioned, eagerly changing the topic of conversation.

"It is October, after all."

Tsume laughed, "Your birthday will be the perfect cover to get that deadbeat brother of mine in the same room with me!"

Orochimaru could not blame Shikaku for wanting to avoid Tsume on most days. The Jounin Commander was the one in charge of sending most shinobi away on missions; and Tsume was barely ever happy with the jobs her clansmen were given because she knew they could have been accomplished by _smaller fry_. The Inuzuka talent was being squandered, she believed. It was no secret that Danzō agreed.

"If we were to hold a reunion of sorts for this birthday, Shikaku would have no acceptable reason to not come. You could catch him then." he offered with a small shrug. He too agreed that on many occasions, Shikaku was far too lenient with the low ranked missions he assigned his Inuzuka graduates.

"You spoil me, sensei."

He would never admit to such a thing out loud and anyone that ever attempted to insinuate such a thing was usually promptly ignored. But Tsume knew him very well and there was very little he could keep hidden from her powerful sense of smell. It was no secret to her that he always had spoiled her. Just like he had always spoiled Kushina and Shikaku.

The Inuzuka had given him a pack, after all. Spoiling the the Inuzuka members of his first team was the least he could do to repay the greatest gift the Inuzuka clan had given him.

* * *

Tsume Inuzuka. Shikaku Nara. Kushina Uzumaki.

Hiruzen-sensei had _not_ been kind when he had assigned this team as Orochimaru's first official genin team.

Officially, he had one Inuzuka student, one Nara, and one Uzumaki. Each one held promise in a variety of fields that were rather exclusive, so he wouldn't have to worry about fights breaking out over future specializations.

Unofficially, though, he was screwed. _His three students were_ _Inuzuka_. Tsume was the only born and raised Inuzuka, though. Shikaku was only half-Inuzuka, after all; the fact that he was Tsume's brother, though, was _concerning_. Kushina was an _honorary_ Inuzuka, so he wouldn't have to worry about the more troublesome _genetic_ characteristics of the clan. But she was, for all intents and purposes, Tsume's _sister_.

Right now, as they stood before him, the man could tell that these children were going to be a difficult challenge. The Nara would refuse to work too hard and would very likely question his decisions. The jinchūriki was notorious for her bad temper, promise in fūinjutsu, and amazing physical strength. And the only true Inuzuka on the team was well known in the village for the mischief she would cause along with Kushina, other Inuzuka clan members, and other students from the Academy; she was a natural born leader.

Orochimaru knew that the Uzumaki would most likely take on the role of healer; just like he knew that the ultimate strategist for them would wind up being the Nara. The Inuzuka was a taijutsu specialist and her pack was renown for versatility in the field.

On paper, the team was standard, but ultimately held a high percentage of success.

They had just finished introducing themselves to him; Tsume was currently instructing Shikaku on proper etiquette for addressing the sister he ignored all the while Kushina frolicked around with the dark pup Tsume had introduced as her partner, Kioshi. Shikaku was seated on a rock with his face turned up to the sky and his eyes closed; most would believe he was suffering through the lecture. But Orochimaru was able to see the lack of tension on his features- he was either enjoying the talking to or didn't care at all.

He would have his work cut out for him.

"Tomorrow I will test you on your basic knowledge of chakra and nature theory. Meet me in Training Ground 48 and bring whatever preferred type of weapon you would like me to integrate into your education." he informed them all, interrupting Tsume mid-rant and earning a quick smile of excitement from the red haired Uzumaki.

He was no Jiraiya, but he could hold his own when it came to the art of sealing. He was sure he would be able to help her even with the strong knowledge she must have received from her clan.

"Dismissed."

These children were no more than eight years old. But the shadow of a new war loomed over the Hidden Village and the Hokage knew that he needed to graduate the most competent students so they would be, even if minimally, prepared for the front lines.

Even though he was not happy, Orochimaru understood why he had been given a team, just like Jiraiya had been given one. They were some of the strongest ninja at the Hokage's disposal and they had experienced a lot of combat within their lives; who better to teach the new generation?

He was beginning to think about ideas he would need to draw up so he could better establish educational plans for each student when he heard the Inuzuka shout out.

"Hey, sensei! Where are you going?"

His feet stopped and he looked over his shoulder to look plainly at Tsume, "Home. I have work to do."

He was surprised to find that all three children were now staring at him through unimpressed gazes- was the dog glaring at him too?

"You can't do that. You gotta come back with us and have dinner with me."

Dinner? With his students?

Was Tsume Inuzuka, the heir of the Inuzuka clan, truly asking him to come back to her clan's home?

 _Preposterous_.

No one in the village aside from his small group of loved ones were interested in being near him; much less have him visit their most intimate space.

"It's tradition, sensei." Kushina stood up and began to walk over to him, quickly followed by her teammates.

Orochimaru frowned but did not move; instead he allowed the children to walk up to him. He even turned his body fully so he did not have to strain his neck to look at them.

"You're _pack_ now." Shikaku finished with his eyes narrowed and no signs of boredom on his face any longer.

The reply of 'such a word means little to me' bubbled within his thoughts, but he did not allow himself to say something so negative so early on. He did not know much about the Inuzuka clan or their ways, but he was sure that saying such a thing would mean the beginning of a rocky relationship he did not wish to have with the first students he was ever given to teach.

"C'mon."

His breath caught within his throat without his permission when Tsume grabbed ahold of his left hand. But he soon frowned when he felt Kushina slide her own hand within his right. And finally he was left absolutely awestruck when the mutt barked at him, moving its head energetically as if to tell him that he was to follow the animal.

"We're having deer tonight. Shika's mom cut the steak specifically for us so you should feel honored, Orochimaru-sensei."

Honored was not quite the word he would use to describe how he was feeling. Confused was much more accurate.

"Ooh, I hope we're having wild rice with the deer like last time!"

The children began to chatter around him as energetically as they had been doing before he had tried to leave them.

If anyone were to ask him later on, he would say that he allowed them to lead him through the busy village as a purely tactical move; he needed his new team to trust him and he would need to make some sacrifices to earn such a position. What he would never admit to anyone but himself was that he had been so surprised by the idea of someone other than Jiraiya or Tsunade wanting to be around him that he was, rather selfishly, willing to follow these kids just to try and experience what normal human beings felt whenever they were invited to share a meal.

~/~

He had asked Jiraiya to come in for today's training because he wanted Kushina to learn from someone as adept as him about the ninja art she so loved. Shikaku had also been interested in learning a bit of fūinjutsu for its practical uses- he insisted that it was because with such knowledge, he'd be able to trap Tsume without exerting too much chakra by using his clan techniques but such excuses were so flimsy no one on the team even bothered with pointing them out.

Tsume only wanted to learn about sealing because she was fascinated by the idea of sealin Kioshi within her fist so she could unseal him in battle and turn the tide. Orochimaru had tried to explain to her that such a technique was much too advanced, but Tsume was adamant about learning how to do accomplish such a jutsu within a year to prove to her half-brother he was wrong. Kushina had said she would help Tsume learn the technique, even though she was betting with Shikaku about how long it would take for the Inuzuka to give up such a crazed endeavor.

Within these last few months, Orochimaru had come to see that Hiruzen-sensei had, in fact, not been out to _screw him_ with the genin team he had been assigned. Their familiarity with one another meant they were predisposed well enough to teamwork. And the dynamic they had quickly fallen into was very conducive to effective communication.

If this sealing lesson went well, he wished to move them onto training with joint attacks within the month.

From the moment Jiraiya walked into the training grounds, Orochimaru was able to tell that something was _off_ about his team.

First of all, they were not very eager to leave his side. They gravitated around him even as Jiraiya attempted to convince them to come closer to him with the cheesy jokes and unamusing stories he usually told to get into the good graces of fellow shinobi. The only reason they left him was because Jiraiya required them to be near him so he could demonstrate the importance of calligraphy for a specific set of seals.

Even as they left, though, Kioshi remained firmly seated on Orochimaru's lap. Even when he tried to move the puppy away, the animal refused to budge and instead utilized her paw to move Orochimaru's hand away.

Certainly it had been odd behavior, but Orochimaru may have been able to strike it down as healthy wariness around strangers... if not for what happened after the children heard Jiraiya call him the nickname he most loathed in his life.

 _Hebi-chan_. It was a minimizing nickname once utilized to ridicule him and the clan he had lost well before he had been able to form true memories of them. In his younger years, he had allowed others to see how much it bothered him. But now the only people that called him by such a name were Jiraiya and Tsunade. He accepted it because they both meant it as an endearing term and not an insulting one; even if they didn't understand just how many painful memories were attached to it.

Jiraiya and he had been talking about Orochimaru possibly giving a lesson to Jiraiya's own team as a sort of payback for Jiraiya having done this for his team. The children had been left to their own devices as the adults spoke; Kioshi had not yet left Orochimaru's lap. He had poked at his ribs as he said, "They're such cute little kids, Hebi-chan! How did you ever get them to like a creep like you this much?"

The oaf had meant no insult; if anything, he was trying to tell Orochimaru he was impressed with how well his team responded to him in his own way.

His team had not seemed to understand this.

"Oi, pervert!" Orochimaru was, at once, struck by how harshly Tsume was rolling the sound of her 'r's'. "Step off of my sensei, jan!" she shouted from their left and when Orochimaru looked at her, it was to find her crouched and prepared to _lunge at Jiraiya_. Her eyes were narrowed and her body was coiled tight.

Had... when had Tsume visited the Hidden Sand? And why had she suddenly adopted this rougher way of speaking? Her regular pronunciation and the words she chose were usually rough, yes, but this was... this went _further_.

When he heard growling from beneath his ears, Orochimaru looked down at his lap to find Tsume's partner glaring up at Jiraiya with too much killing intent within its eyes- this was a _puppy_. How could she already hate _so much_?

"Call my sensei Hebi-chan one more time, you lecherous asshole," Kushina appeared beside Orochimaru in a flash, bright red hair wiping in the wind as directed her words at Jiraiya; uncharacteristically, her smile was both tight and cold, her eyes narrowed and _scathing_. "And you'll find out how painful it is to swallow _concrete_."

Jiraiya actually shuddered at _that_ and he soon moved away from Orochimaru. In all honesty, Orochimaru was not sure if he had done so voluntarily to amuse the children or involuntarily because he had _believed_ the threats of _genin_.

Finally, Shikaku spoke up from his spot sunbathing on a large rock to deliver the final blow to Jiraiya's courage, "Hurt sensei again and your death will _not_ be swift."

Jiraiya high tailed it out of the training grounds in record time, leaving a stunned Orochimaru with a group of genin that slowly lost killing intent; Tsume actually began to smile at him again within a few seconds.

Orochimaru blinked... then he began to grow worried as Kioshi jumped out of his lap and began to follow in Jiraiya's direction. He was not sure what the puppy was planning, but he knew it would not be particularly pleasant for his friend.

"There was no need for such threats, children. Jiraiya is a friend."

The smile that had wormed onto Tsume's face immediately dropped, "He hurt you. I don't want you him around you." her face adopted a cold glare, very similar to the one Kushina had worn; and Orochimaru was _stunned_.

How did she even know the nickname bothered him?

"Inuzuka can sniff out feelings, sensei." Shikaku called out suddenly, and the pieces fell into place; Orochimaru was a fool. He had never even began to wonder how far the Inuzuka nose could _smell_. "And you groaned when you heard the nickname. You're not the kind to react physically to anything that doesn't bother you."

Had he truly made such a conspicuous sound?

"Let's go get some ramen, sensei!" Kushina grabbed onto his left hand and, once again, Orochimaru was stunned by the ease with which she went through with such an action. His skin was naturally cold and many considered it odd to touch. Yet she did not seem at all bothered by the oddity of his skin. "We'll pay this time to cheer you up!"

"I would like a meat lovers." Shikaku muttered softly, only for Tsume to jump onto him and tell him that she was going to buy a _double_ meat lovers ramen.

The ease with which his team regained the tone of ease and comfortability around them after such a tense moment was truly interesting for Orochimaru to witness. He had never been fortunate enough to be around people that were able to shake off their discontent quickly; Jiraiya and Tsunade were both, much like himself, the kind to hold grudges.

He was pulled up from his seat on a tall boulder by Kushina with that impressive strength she hid in the deceptively small body and, once again, he allowed himself to be led around by his team.

When they reached the ramen stand, Orochimaru was floored to hear Teuchi greet him as sensei rather than Orochimaru-sama. And... he would have been lying if he tried to say he felt nothing over hearing someone aside of his students acknowledging his teaching position as more important than his reputation as a shinobi.

Unfortunately, it wasn't very long before rumors began to surface about how Orochimaru taught his students how to be perfect candidates for the Torture and Interrogation department.

~/~

The war had begun a year ago. Konohagakure was standing strong and there had been relatively few casualties for them. Most of the casualties up to this point belonged to smaller villages.

There was still no end in sight to this latest conflict.

Orochimaru frowned as he watched over the sleeping bodies of his genin team. They had been exhausted after the fighting they had endured; but at least Kushina had been able to mend all of the more serious injuries they had faced.

Injuries... when he returned to Konoha, he would very probably be forced into a coma by Tsunade when she found out how extensively he had damaged his chakra pathways to be able to take on the full brunt of the attack on his students. His back was screaming at him at this point and his clothes were uncomfortably heavy from all the of the blood that had seeped out of his wounds; but he could ignore such pain. First he needed to look over the children to make sure that they had not hidden any injuries.

 _These children were nine_.

He had watched Tsume rip out the spine of a ninja that had tried to sneak up on Shikaku as the child strangled a kunoichi to death with shadows. He had watched Kushina drive a shattered tree limb into the stomach of one ninja as Kioshi ripped through the tendon on his right leg. He had watched these nine year old's dance with death and come out victorious.

He had trained them well.

_Had he trained them too well?_

There was no time to think of such a thing. Rain fell softly around them and Orochimaru was grateful for it; he always felt soothed by cooler temperatures. To the sound of soft pitter-patter of water droplets hitting the ground, Orochimaru shifted around the large tent Shikaku had set up for them as Kushina had healed Tsume's twisted ankle so he could begin to look over the only official Inuzuka on the team.

Being the most physical of the three, the young kunoichi had suffered the most contact injuries. Orochimaru patted down her arms and legs, sending small bursts of chakra to map out her physical condition- no fractures or worrying cuts; just bruises and the ankle sprain that would leave her limping for the next few days.

"Danzō… want s'me steak?"

Beside himself, Orochimaru smiled softly at the young Inuzuka's mumbled words. She had a bad habit of talking in her sleep; and a worrying interest in the Inuzuka's favored non-Inuzuka, Danzō Shimura. It was no surprise that the clan head's heir had a romantic interest for the intelligent outsider that had managed to open communication between her clan and the rest of the Village. But it was somewhat worrying because Tsuma had proved to be borderline obsessive with what was supposed to have been an innocent crush.

Next he moved onto Kushina, who was curled up beside Tsume and was clutching tightly onto the Inuzuka's right arm. Tsume laid stiffly on her back; unmoving and tense. Kushina had a few minutes ago been curled up against Shikaku. It seemed the Uzumaki, even in sleep, was worrying over her friends.

As the medic of the team, the red head had faced the least amount of immediate physical danger, so it was no surprise to find that she only had a few bruises peppering her legs. It was a surprise, though, to note that her chakra reserves were mostly drained... she must have used all of her chakra running interference for her team and healing them.

Kioshi was sleeping on top of Shikaku's back, curled up in a protective ball over the Nara. One quick survey of her body let Orochimaru know that she had lost a tooth in combat, but had not suffered anything else. He was able to breathe a bit easier after that- Kioshi was small, smaller even than the rest of the team.

Finally, he moved to Shikaku, who was resting on his stomach with his arms curled beneath his head. The Nara had received a harsh blow to his arm and Kushina had attempted her best to fix the damage, but now Orochimaru could tell that the boy would need to be brought into the hospital to receive adequate care. The bone was fractured and the chakra pathways were stunted because of the awkward way the bone had moved.

Sighing softly, Orochimaru allowed himself to sit down and begin to heal the wounds he could easily access on his legs. His students were somewhat worse for wear, but overall safe and sound.

 _Hiruzen-sensei had assigned them a simple support mission to Amegakure_ _. They were to meet with Jiraiya's squad, drop off supplies, and then return to their Village. The ambush from Iwagakure ninja on their way back home had not been expected._

He should have expected it.

Something odd happened that night, with the rain falling softly around the tent they had set up in the perimeters of the Land of Fire, and the soft breathing of his team before him. That night, Orochimaru felt a strange burning in his eyes as he looked down at the slumbering bodies of his genin team. The burning from them bothered him more than the pain from his back.

But it wasn't until he began to think that he should introduce the kids to his summons so that he wouldn't have to worry about using them in battles where the children were involved that Orochimaru noticed the importance of the prickling of his eyes.

These Inuzuka brats _mattered_.

~/~

The quiet in the house was as suffocating as it was wholly unwelcome.

_"Welcome to our new home, Orochi! Soon enough it'll filled to the brim with shinobi and students and doesn't that idea bring joy into your cold, stagnated heart?"_

Jiraiya had been tasked with fetching the orphans from Amegakure he had grown so fond of during the war. But the only reason why he was being allowed to technically adopt refugees was because Orochimaru had promised to help take care of them. Hiruzen-sensei and Kakuzu-sensei both knew that even now, Jiraiya's understanding of the needs of children was lacking. And seeing how Tsunade wasn't around to run to if something went catastrophically wrong with the health of the children, Orochimaru was to be a secondary guardian who served as a voice of reason.

This supposed new home was a large structure because Jiraiya had large dreams for a big family. Orochimaru had a wing all to himself, to the left side of the property. The idea was for him to have the most immediate access to the kitchen and big spaces for library and laboratory areas Jiraiya believed he would want; all the while Jiraiya and the orphans would have the right side of the house all to themselves.

Right now, after Jiraiya had left, Orochimaru could not help but feel sorely _alone_ within this structure that he was supposed to begin calling his home.

Life had not been easy for any of them and his white haired teammate was obsessed with building the life he believed they deserved. The first step for his plan would be to adopt those three kids he had fallen in love with during the war. The second step would be to convince Tsunade that she didn't have to continue feeling guilty for the deaths of her loved ones. And the third step would be to begin looking out for any shinobi that might need help- the war had drained them all and now they needed to rebuild.

Sakumo Hatake was rather high up in Jiraiya's list, Orochimaru knew. The small numbers of the Hatake clan had been absolutely decimated and the dozen survivors were _struggling_.

With a small sigh, his thoughts turned away from Jiraiya and towards his own genin team.

His genin had proven to be more than just competent in the battlefield. After four years under his guidance, three of which had been spent surviving a war none of them had asked to be involved in, Orochimaru believed they were finally ready to become chunin.

He just was not sure if he was ready to see them off and welcome a new team of genin. Because after how successful these three had become because of his teaching style, there was no doubt in Orochimaru's mind that he would be handed another team.

A frown came to his lips when he sensed the four pups cross through the threshold of this new house without so much as knocking on the door. He turned around so he would be able to see them as soon as they entered the hallway that led to his wing, face hardening to a scowl. While they were shinobi, it was unnecessarily risky to break into the house of another shinobi.

"Wow, this place is _cold_."

Beside himself, he could not help but agree with Tsume's words. This house was supposed to be his new home... but it certainly did not feel like it.

"I don't know. If we were to bring Chōza over, he'd be able to fill the whole place up with delicious food. Inoichi would bring amazing flowers to decorate. Minato'd cover the place up with drawings and leave a trail of books. I'm imagining a few privacy seals disguised as paintings." Kushina remarked in a happy chirp. "Just give me a few days to draw up some plans and I'll have this place looking like a real home, believe it!"

Shikaku was the last to mutter, "Just as long as we don't invite Fugaku over, this place won't be _too sad_."

As he said this, the four pups made their into the entrance of the hallway and Orochimaru was able to properly glare down at them. Instead of seeming even an ounce apologetic for having broken into his house, the pups smiled in their own ways at him. Kioshi even barked in greeting as her tail began to wag animatedly.

"Sensei! C'm'over to my house!" Tsume called with a smirk, placing her hands on her hips, "The winter festival is supposed to start any second now! And you know you don't want to miss that steak."

Orochimaru's frown became somewhat less firm.

"I thought the festival was only for members of the clan."

"It's only for pack." Kushina corrected... and Orochimaru was still not sure why he was being invited.

"I am still not part of the Inuzuka, pups. Such a celebration is not for me." he shook his head as he began to make his way towards them, "Now, please leave my home and do not trespass again. A simple knock would have-"

"Sensei, to be one of the great prodigies of your generation, you're not very smart." Shikaku's blunt words froze him in absolute shock. "Don't you remember what we told you the first day we met? _You are pack_."

He... he was pack?

Impossible.

No one wanted him to be part of their family. Not when he had been an orphan, much less now that he was... _himself_.

Tsume and Kushina walked towards him and grabbed him by both hands, though, and pulled him towards the entrance of the much too large structure he was supposed to call his home, all the while Shikaku and Kioshi led the way.

"I hate this house too, sensei. Don't worry, like Kushina said, we'll come back later and fix it up and make it feel better. Until then, you can stay with my family like Danzō's been doing since he lost his territory."

To be so powerful, Orochimaru had a bad habit of forgetting how powerful the Inuzuka sense of smell was. Which was an incompetent oversight on his part because Tsume and Shikaku both were privy to his emotions even when he schooled his features to show absolutely no feelings.

That night, he was fortunate enough to watch the winter offering festival take place with his own eyes. That week, he was fortunate enough to be given a place to stay while his team drew up battle plans to bring life into the much dead house Jiraiya had bought for them. That month, he was fortunate enough to find out that even though he had not been comfortable in the structure that was supposed to be home... it had been because he had already found a home. Within the Inuzuka clan.

~/~

"I'm going to marry him, y'know."

Kushina groaned loudly, "Danzō's like twenty years older than you."

"So? I'm a legal adult. I could marry him right now if he wanted to."

Orochimaru sighed at the conversation he was forced to listen to from the kunoichi beside him, even as he attempted to pour all of his attention towards the tattooing ceremony Danzō Shimura was currently undergoing to officially become a member of the Inuzuka clan.

"Your mother would never allow it, Tsume. You're already half-blooded enough." Shikaku sighed from Orochimaru's left, tapping his fingers against the ground beneath them.

The ceremony was taking place outside of the home of the clan head. This meant that they were currently sat on grass, watching as the Inuzuka's official village diplomat acquired the outline of the fang markings so connected to the Inuzuka clan. Because he was an outsider, he would only be receiving the red outlines today. If he managed to find an Inuzuka partner he could marry, on the night of the marriage ceremony, the tattoos would be filled in and he would look like a true Inuzuka.

"Eh, Orochimaru-sensei, am I going to have to get a face tattoo if I stay on your team?" Anko, one of his newest genin students, asked from her spot beside Kushina and Tsume.

The older kunoichi snickered at the absurdity but no one bothered to answer her question. Upon noticing no one was going to answer her, the purple haired kunoichi grunted, "That's alright. Face tattoos are cool."

Nineteen year old Shikaku, who was, by all means, supposed to be the most serious out of the young shinobi around him, shrugged and told her, "Fangs wouldn't look too bad on you."

Tomoe, who had only just recently left Orochimaru's tutelage by graduating to chunin with her own teammates, called out from behind Orochimaru to say, "I'll do them myself, Anko. You'd look _exquisite_ with some red on you."

Parallel to them, the rest of the Inuzuka clan that had come out to see the initiation of an outsider into their clan were snickering at the conversation Orochimaru was surrounded by. And he could not, for the life of him, feel even a shred of comfortableness in the situation he had been placed. Where he was sat with current and old students of his, was a place of _importance_. Aside from the students, only elders and him were here.

He did not belong in this place.

Well... _he_ didn't believe he belonged here. The rest of the Inuzuka clan disagreed. And so he had been forced here.

As the Inuzuka's most beloved jounin teacher, Tsume told him he was only a few good deeds away from being tattooed into the pack.

"Oi, Orochi-sensei," Tsume's tone of voice was mischievous and Orochimaru did his best to ignore her all the while the clan head moved on to Danzō's left side to begin the tattoo on that cheek. "Will you work some of that diplomacy magic with my mom to convince her to let me marry Danzō? I love him, ya know."

"How do you know what love is? You're still a teenager." Anko questioned.

"Kushina thinks she's in love with Minato and I don't see anyone questioning her." Tsume defended.

"Isn't Inoichi supposed to be getting married in the fall?" Shikaku paid no mind to his friends.

"Minato's my one true love!" Kushina exclaimed in a breathless whisper that caused a ripple of laughter from the clan that was _supposed to be watching an outsider being welcomed into their clan._

And Orochimaru could not help but lament the importance and respect the Inuzuka clan had given him. Even though he was grateful the clan trusted him so, he was not very happy with the way Tsume tried to use him as leverage to get what she wanted.

"Young ones, if you do not wish for me to test out new poisons on you, you will fall into _silence_." he hissed at them and only two members of his genin team took him seriously. Anko and the rest of his old students snickered at his baseless threat.

* * *

Orochimaru sighed softly as Tsume placed one calloused hand on his left shoulder.

"Have Kushina plan something for my birthday. I believe she will be ecstatic to be able to plan something with you again." he told the kunoichi he had watched grow up right before his eyes.

She smiled softly, a tenderness she barely ever showed anyone taking over her usually rough eyes as she nodded. "You got it, Orochi-sensei. A sleepover, just like old times! D'you think you'd be able to kick out the Namikaze for a night?" suddenly being filled with energy, the woman began to rave, "Maybe we'll be able to get the rest of the old gang back together! Inoichi and Chōza need vacations, after all. And it's been ages since any of us invaded that old pervert's territory."

The kunoichi continued to talk herself up with endless possibilities about a reunion between the shinobi that still lived from her graduating class _and_ Orochimaru's old students.

Even though he knew he had to return sooner rather than later to his physical home, Orochimaru allowed himself the indulgence of staying just a few more minutes inside of his true home, with the Inuzuka.

**Author's Note:**

> I will be adding Danzo/Tsume as the relationship tag in a week or so, but I wanted them to not be at the forefront of the first reader's mind when reading. Especially because I now have an unhealthy liking towards the idea of Danzo/Tsume and wanted that to be a surprise in the story.
> 
> Please don't hate me!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Please review and tell me your thoughts!


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